What You Need to Know Before Buying a Pedometer -

Home
>
Fitness Equipment
>
What You Need to Know Before Buying a Pedometer

What You Need to Know Before Buying a Pedometer

Question: What's small, weighs about an ounce, and comes in dozens of different models? Answer: a Pedometer.

Would you have guessed it had I mentioned this item can help you lose weight, decrease your chance of diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease, and improve your overall fitness? Using a pedometer to count your steps is one of the cheapest and easiest ways available to improve your health and fitness.

The tremendous variety of pedometers available today make it difficult for people who want the health benefits of a pedometer to decide which one is right for them. There are flip-down cases versus open-face units. There are those that just count steps versus those that count steps, distance, calories and time. Some pedometers come with lights, radios, alarms, step filters, scanning, pacing, auto start/stop, memory, voice, and on and on.

The most important thing to decide is what features you need. The basics are steps, distance, calories, and time. If you're doing a 10,000 step program or something similar, you will need to know your steps. They are the foundation for all other calculations within the pedometer.

If you are interested in knowing the distance you cover in your walking or running, get a pedometer with a distance calculation (in miles or kilometers, some have both). Make sure you can set your stride length or your distance measurements will be inaccurate. When walking or running, make sure you are actually taking steps the length you entered into the pedometer.

A pedometer that measures calories burned is helpful in giving you an idea of how much energy you have expended. If you are counting calories, this can be a good way to see if you've earned that extra doughnut or not. Again, make sure you can enter your weight to get the most accurate calculation possible.

The time function comes in a variety of forms. Some pedometers will show time of day, while some have a stopwatch or countdown timer. There are units that will start and stop only when there is movement, so you don't have to start and stop a stopwatch manually.

After features, another factor will be the physical properties of the pedometer itself. What sort of case configuration will work best for you? A flip-down case means the reset, and other, buttons are protected, and you flip down the case to see your steps. An open-faced pedometer is just that, open, and you have to look upside-down at your numbers. Not bad when you are checking steps, but it can be cumbersome if you are looking at a lot of data. Some pedometers have a holster-style case where you can pull the unit off your hip and look at it.

Consider where the pedometer is manufactured. There is general agreement that the best units are made in Japan, with Taiwan a close second. Pedometers made in China are generally believed to be less accurate than Japanese or Taiwanese models.

Price is always a consideration as well. The law of "you get what you pay for" works to a certain point, but is not the only guideline you should follow. I've heard of a few people who thought their free McDonald's or Kellogg's pedometers worked well, while most of the feedback I've heard was negative. I've also seen very expensive pedometers that just weren't worth the price.

It pays to shop around and find the pedometer that will work best for you. Consider the features, the structure, and the country of origin, then factor in the price. You will end up with a pedometer that will give you motivation to keep moving throughout your life.

Download our FREE pedometer ebook: 'Simple Steps to Fitness: A Beginner's Guide to Pedometers'. It will give you more information on choosing and using your pedometer.

In The News:

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.bixbybulletin.com/site/news.cfm%3Fnewsid%3D20155749%26BRD%3D2754%26PAG%3D461%26dept_id%3D574071%26rfi%3D6cid=1255513141ei=XrnvSO6dKYmE6QPzrZH0AQusg=AFQjCNG4Uv6bVixyZuhzInyRO7jPiVoHTgCenter gets exercise bequipment/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBixby Bulletin,nbsp;OKnbsp;-/font nobrOct 8, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Edwards stressed the exercise bequipment/b is a supplement for those using the indoor track. quot;We#39;re not trying to compete with any health or bfitness/b club,quot; he b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.fitsugar.com/2170215cid=0ei=XrnvSO6dKYmE6QPzrZH0AQusg=AFQjCNFFVlBlAOL7rvEUHMlFGrXnKTyL2AHave You Ever Bought bFitness Equipment/b From TV?/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fFitSugar.com,nbsp;CAnbsp;-/font nobrOct 8, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Since I#39;m so obsessed with bfitness/b, I repeatedly get sucked into watching the quot;one time offerquot; bfitness/b gear ads. While the ones that promise that you#39;ll b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/article.aspx%3FarticleID%3D20081010_46_E1_GoFitC104731cid=0ei=XrnvSO6dKYmE6QPzrZH0AQusg=AFQjCNF3k72KNWWftdvte7tBzAOIyrHymgGoFit to keep in shape at new site/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fTulsa World,nbsp;OKnbsp;-/font nobr13 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Neither Caswell nor Davis were bfitness/b experts by training. Both were marketing majors who had put in years selling exercise bequipment/b. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.wnct.com/nct/news/local/article/suspect_in_charlotte_death_arrested_at_nc_motel/20190/cid=1255910287ei=XrnvSO6dKYmE6QPzrZH0AQusg=AFQjCNFQSxGS3U6hoVqtf3VwjXkuOl3etwimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=LprzlPTXqosJimgurl=media.wnct.com/wnct/img-story/images/uploads/Carolina-Wrap.jpg width=80 height=54 alt= border=1brfont size=-2WNCT/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/brunswick-accelerates-resizing-fixed-cost-reduction/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B9D0F31B9-4BE4-437F-80CB-4F3273A143A9%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1255910287ei=XrnvSO6dKYmE6QPzrZH0AQusg=AFQjCNHsiCX5z__cWRSq2Fb75Pk6_qGFqQBrunswick Accelerates Resizing and Fixed-Cost Reduction Efforts b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobrOct 9, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1b.../b IDS dealer management systems; Life bFitness/b, Hammer Strength and ParaBody bfitness equipment/b; Brunswick bowling centers, bequipment/b and consumer products; b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.rttnews.com/ArticleView.aspx%3FId%3D737154%26SMap%3D1cid=1255910287ei=XrnvSO6dKYmE6QPzrZH0AQusg=AFQjCNFqexmLEZpn419aLkrQBHkWwT2ZzQBrunswick Plans Corporate Restructuring; To Eliminate 1450 Jobs/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrRTT News/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1255910287hl=ennobrall 225 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/nautilus-recognized-official-fitness-equipment/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B4288B773-178A-435F-AA32-77D2153CAF2B%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1253303958ei=XrnvSO6dKYmE6QPzrZH0AQusg=AFQjCNGNLlaWRJXLX2MVBhg5tzdxCuzEQANautilus Recognized as Official bFitness Equipment/b Supplier to the b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobrOct 2, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1quot;As our partner, Nautilus has provided the Mavs with the best bfitness equipment/b in the business.quot; The agreement involves furnishing the facility with the b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2008/10/on_frasers_fitness_mandate_and.htmlcid=1256172986ei=XrnvSO6dKYmE6QPzrZH0AQusg=AFQjCNGzHQxRjcT0BVxodoFwih5ARRssggOn Fraser#39;s bfitness/b mandate and a Q and A with Haydar/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMLive.com,nbsp;MInbsp;-/font nobr2 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1b.../b room for a changing area, upgrading the video bequipment/b and new paint and lighting. quot;Curt is a physical bfitness/b nut,quot; general manager Bob McNamara said. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp%3FS%3D9145299%26nav%3Dmenu86_13_10cid=0ei=XrnvSO6dKYmE6QPzrZH0AQusg=AFQjCNEe-tWYrOuB_RfpT4aCTHzkX26qZgbFitness/b Friday circuit with minimal bequipment/b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fKOLD-TV,nbsp;AZnbsp;-/font nobr9 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Here is the circuit on paper, but to see her form and full instructions, click on the video link attached to this story. If you don#39;t have a medicine ball, b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.malepatternfitness.com/2008/10/8/630999/product-weigh-in-wednesdaycid=0ei=XrnvSO6dKYmE6QPzrZH0AQusg=AFQjCNFvwuk2Slgxid1cfFXqawxM9SdaGgProduct Weigh-In Wednesday: The TRX/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMale Pattern Fitnessnbsp;-/font nobrOct 8, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1by Andrew Heffernan on Oct 8, 2008 2:11 PM EDT I got a question some time ago about the TRX system, a versitile, go-anywhere piece of bfitness equipment/b b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/story.html%3Fid%3D3590d667-8328-44fa-8bc3-e89bc9155ac4cid=1256067868ei=XrnvSO6dKYmE6QPzrZH0AQusg=AFQjCNEdfbo1EMUNVjX8jSZOUEumGYp-vwimg src=http://news.google.com/news?imgefp=glML-7MWwocJimgurl=a123.g.akamai.net/f/123/12465/1d/media.canada.com/idl/vapr/20081010/128880-46667.jpg%3Fsize%3Dl width=80 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2The Province/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html%3Fid%3Dffcfc937-c27a-4a94-9c4b-d34d4ae83641cid=1256067868ei=XrnvSO6dKYmE6QPzrZH0AQusg=AFQjCNH-vM-b7XWU3dJa9Vna12xG7S5TDwCoke hopes torch offer sparks youth bfitness/b interest/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fVancouver Sun,nbsp; Canadanbsp;-/font nobr12 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1b.../b bfitness/b activities that meet their needs and interests. n Organizations can support youth groups by providing access to facilities, bequipment/b or b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20081010.OLYCOKE10/TPStory/Sportscid=1256067868ei=XrnvSO6dKYmE6QPzrZH0AQusg=AFQjCNEfqoUbIg86-mXCoEVfblpShffCagCoca-Cola, ParticipAction team up to promote active living/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrGlobe and Mail/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1256067868hl=ennobrall 4 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://www.citywebshopper.net/articles/includes/redirect.php?url=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/planet-nutritions-subsidiary-im-/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B571305D3-A03D-4954-94C4-8AB75302238B%257D%26dist%3Dhpprcid=1246947725ei=XrnvSO6dKYmE6QPzrZH0AQusg=AFQjCNEpYAz-ajnCYHvjMJ9yhq55YlzwWQPlanet Nutrition#39;s Subsidiary, IM amp; M Exercise bEquipment/b Inc b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fMarketWatchnbsp;-/font nobrSep 16, 2008/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Planet Nutrition#39;s newest expansion in Pueblo West Colorado includes over $100000.00 of Extreme bFitness Equipment/b and a state-of-the-art rehab facility. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

fitness equipment - Google News